**1.2 Anxiety and fear**

Anxiety and fear are emotions that people are usually confused about. Fear is a response to a known threat. However, anxiety can be defined as fear, tension, uneasiness, or restlessness expected from an unidentified or unknown source. We can evaluate anxiety as a cognitive state of fear [2]. Physical symptoms of anxiety include palpitations, difficulty breathing, rapid breathing, tremors in the hands and feet, and excessive sweating. Psychological symptoms, on the other hand, include distress, excitement, sudden feeling, and fear that something terrible will happen [3].

Anxiety, which we consider normal (mild and moderate anxiety), plays an important role in the development of the individual. However, if the level of anxiety increases, it may lead to mental problems. A high level of anxiety, long duration,

and intensification of anxiety symptoms may cause anxiety disorders. Anxiety can be evaluated as pathological when it begins to have an impact on social and occupational actions, achievement of desired goals, and emotional state [4].

In short, anxiety can be deemed pathological if the following situations occur:


Example: Ms. M., who was involved in a serious traffic accident a month ago, refuses to drive even to places in short distances. Her father has to take Ms. M. whenever she needs to go somewhere. Ms. M., who constantly refuses to drive, has even had to quit her job because of her anxiety about driving.

#### **1.3 Epidemiology**

Anxiety disorders are the most common of all psychiatric illnesses and result in significant functional impairment and distress [5, 6]. Its prevalence per year is reported as 17.7%. This rate is 30.5% for women and 19.2% for men, and the frequency decreases with the increase in socioeconomic level [7]. In a study conducted by Özcan et al. (2006), anxiety disorder was found to be the most common diagnosis among 950 psychiatric patients, and it was mostly observed in women, housewives, married people, and people with a low education level [8].
